


The Solution to Love

by sedna_mode



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Accidental Marriage, Alien Cultural Differences, Aliens, Attempted Arranged Marriage, Everyone wants Hunk, Gen, Hunk is a victim of his own charm, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, VLD Fanfiction Remix 2017
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 10:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12363846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sedna_mode/pseuds/sedna_mode
Summary: Hunk has no idea why so many aliens like him so much. The attention is nice, sure, but sometimes it leads to awkward or... unfortunate situationsOr5 times an alien proposed to Hunk and 1 time he accepted





	1. Arryzl

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Problem with Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10128431) by [Remsyk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remsyk/pseuds/Remsyk). 



> This was written for Remsyk for the VLD Fanfic Remix! 
> 
> I'm really, really sorry it's late. I may have been just a bit over-ambitious with this, but everything is planned out and 2 of the chapters are completed and ready to go. I promise I'll get the remaining chapters up ASAP, hopefully by the end of October. Every chapter is more or less meant to stand on its own, though they do all lead into the last one. This is loosely set sometime during season 2, though it's somewhat canon divergent. It uses the original paladin configuration because that's what it was back when I was planning the fic and that's what I'm most comfortable writing, hope that's ok :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy Hunk's (mis)adventures navigating infatuated aliens, and again I'm extremely sorry that I'm late and don't have a completed story yet...

The battle had been straight forward, almost boring in its predictability. Team Voltron had intercepted a distress signal, responded to it, assisted the locals in chasing the Galra occupiers off their planet, then got invited to a celebration in their honour. To be sure, it was good work. Important work. Seeing the grateful and relieved faces of the Syxan people was nothing short of extremely gratifying. Still, it was all stuff Hunk had done innumerable times before.

So when the Syxan military leaders pulled Allura, Shiro, and Coran aside partway through the party to negotiate an alliance and discuss defense strategies, Hunk decided it was time for him to find his own entertainment.

Leaving Keith to hover on the fringes of the negotiation table, Hunk dove into the thick of the party, aiming more or less for where he could see Lance and Pidge hanging out by the refreshments table across the hall.

Of course, being a paladin meant he could go no more than a few steps without being intercepted.

“Yellow Paladin! Yellow Paladin, s _yx_ _’a ena._ ”

Turning toward the voice with an easy smile, Hunk returned the greeting—as he understood it, an expression of both gratitude and welcome—and accompanied it with the proper hand motion: palm over the heart and then extended out toward the other party.

“You have done us an incredible service, honoured Paladin,” one of the gathered aliens said. “The Syxan people are forever in your debt.”

“It is our pleasure to come to the aid of all those who are in need.” The phrase was familiar on Hunk’s tongue, but that didn’t detract from its sincerity. This, right here, was what made all of it—the hours of training, the strategy meetings and flight pattern practices, the blood and bruises and aching muscles—all of it, worthwhile.

The longer he spent talking to the Syxans, the larger the group grew, attracted by the sight of a paladin they could accost without fear of interrupting something important. Hunk smiled and returned greetings and answered questions all around.

When he mentioned wanting some food and drink the entire party relocated to the refreshments table, where it also swallowed up Lance and Pidge. Snacks in hand, surrounded by his friends and the people he had just helped save, the jaunty music of the Syxan band and the chatter of party guests underpinning it all, Hunk finally allowed himself to relax. Today had been a good day.

The first indication that something new was afoot was a sudden hush falling on the gathered Syxans. Hunk looked up from his conversation with an elder, alerted by the sudden shift in the atmosphere. From the fringes of the group a middle-aged Syxan approached, standing tall and wrapped in an air of importance, his angular, whiskered face carefully neutral. Hunk recognized him as Hyxl, the State Leader; Hunk and the rest of Team Voltron had been introduced to him at the beginning of the evening.

Last Hunk had seen of him he had been seated at the head of the hall, close enough to the negotiation table to listen in on what his generals were discussing with the Voltron leaders while also keeping an eye on the festivities.

Hunk had no idea what could possibly bring him all the way out here. He was followed close behind by another, younger Syxan, this one looking both reluctant and exasperated as they followed. People moved out of the way before the pair, creating a path for them.

Hunk realized with a twist of his gut that the path led straight to him.

Giving himself a quick once-over, Hunk set his food down on the table and wiped his sweaty palms on his undersuit before straightening to face the Syxan leader.

Hyxl came up and stopped before him, looking him up and down once before pulling the smaller Syxan out from behind him and holding them next to him with an arm slung around their shoulder.

"Yellow paladin," he said, his voice inscrutable. "I would like you to meet my daughter, Arryzl. I think you'll find you have much in common."

“Uh.” Hunk swallowed uneasily, trying to discern the leader's intentions from his words.

Remembering his manners Hunk turned to her and inclined his head, giving her the palm-over-heart greeting. At least her eyes were warm, unlike her father’s; it eased the knot of tension in Hunk’s gut somewhat "It’s my pleasure, Miss. Allow me to say you look radiant tonight."

Arryzl smiled, returning the greeting. Her expression was much more open and inviting than Hyxl’s. "You flatter me, Yellow Paladin. It is an honour to meet one of the heroes of Voltron."

“Oh gosh.” Hunk could feel his ears heating up. “I’m just Hunk, really, no need for fancy titles.”

“And humble too. In that case, Just Hunk, to you I am just Arryzl.”

Her father hung around for a beat longer, then nodded once to Hunk and once to Lance and Pidge, turned on his heel, and returned to the head of the room without another word.

In his wake the rest of the Syxans converged once more on the paladins, but they left a careful space around Hunk and Arryzl, apparently deeming that they were to be left on their own. Hunk caught Lance and Pidge shooting him curious looks from the center of the group, but with so many aliens around them they had no opportunity to come over and ask him about it.

At Hunk's elbow Arryzl sighed, sticking her tongue out at her father's retreating back. The gesture was a comical contrast to Hyxl's coolness and the formality of their introduction; it brought a smile to Hunk's face.

"I should tell you right now," she said, turning back to Hunk, "that he is hoping to arrange a union between us."

"I... oh." Hunk stalled, looking for the correct words. How did one say _thanks but no thanks_ to the leader of a planet you were currently trying to negotiate an alliance with. He could feel his face heating up the longer he waited, and he rubbed at the back of his neck nervously.

Arryzl took pity on him, reaching out to lightly touch his elbow. "You do not have to worry though, I am not interested. Not that you aren't an extremely worthy candidate, and under other circumstances I might have taken this seriously.”

She paused to give Hunk an appreciative once-over. “However, I am already taken."

"Well." Hunk chuckled bashfully. "That's a relief I suppose. And thank you for the compliment. But if I may, why is he trying to set you up if you're already taken?"

"He does not approve of who I have chosen. I do not care, Bainyl is my star, she's perfect." Arryzl's eyes glazed over as she spoke of her partner.

"She?" The pronoun stuck out to Hunk. "Is that why your father does not approve?"

Arryzl stared at him, confused. "I do not understand?"

"Ah." He trailed off, wondering how to best explain homophobia to the daughter of an alien State Leader. "Well you see, where I come from it used to be that some people believed partnerships between two... members of the same gender were, shall we say, wrong. And so when you said your father didn't approve of your girlfriend I thought… well."

Arryzl tilted her head as she puzzled through his words. "Oh! No, not at all. Your people are against such unions? That's barbaric."

"It is, isn't it? Thankfully that kind of thinking has pretty much died out nowadays, though I'm sure there are a few people who still believe that. There always are."

"I know what you mean. But no, that is not the reason. It is because Bainyl is of the serving class. My father wants me to make a union with a ‘proper’ suitor, someone who will bring glory and prosperity or some such nonsense to our name. As though we do not already have more than enough of that."

"I'm sorry, that sounds like a tough time."

"I will talk him around, I'm sure. I feel like he is almost ready to crack in any case. If our union does not work I think he will give up trying to set me up and finally accept that I am devoted to Bainyl."

"Well, in that case, let us ensure that we do not get along at all."

Arryzl's laugh was like chimes in the wind. "Yes, we would make a most horrendous pair."

"Totally. I mean I'd always be ordering you around and making you cook for me, you'd be miserable."

"And I would always demand that you rub my feet and clean my peskian treitle."

At Hunk's confused look she clarified. "Winged creatures we use to send messages. They have a habit of rolling around in their own dung. Their usefulness makes them worth keeping around, but believe me, you do not want to clean a peskian treitle."

"Oh my gosh. No, I don't think I would."

The two looked at each other, matching grins spreading until they burst into laughter. They clutched at each other and laughed until their sides hurt, Syxans occasionally shooting them curious glances.

The threat of an arranged union dissipated, conversation flowed easily between them after that. They spent the rest of the evening in each other's company, exchanging stories of their home planets and other, more inane topics.

Hunk found out Arryzl also had an interest in mechanics ("ah so that's what your father meant when he said we have common interests") and they spent a good couple of vargas discussing different engines and the benefits of various fuel types.

At some point they filled a couple plates with food and found a bench to sit on, up against one of the walls. Hunk completely lost track of time, and it wasn't until Lance showed up at his elbow and cleared his throat significantly that Hunk noticed the band had left and the lights had been dimmed.

The negotiations must have gone well; he could see Allura and Coran nursing goblets of drink and looking pleased with themselves, standing among the military leaders at the other side of the hall.

Shiro, Keith, and Pidge were standing among another group of Syxans in the middle of the hall, these ones civilians from the look of it, smiling and waving as the aliens broke off in groups of two or three to take their leave.

Shiro kept glancing toward Hunk and Lance, evidently just waiting for them before rounding everyone up and heading back to the castle. The hall was considerably emptier than it had been, and Hunk blinked. He had not noticed the party winding down at all, too caught up in his conversation with Arryzl.

"Is it that late already?" Hunk asked Lance.

"Yeah man, we've been trying to subtly get your attention for the last ten minutes. Shiro finally got fed up and sent me to get you."

Hunk cast a sheepish look in Shiro’s direction.

"It seems I have kept you from your friends," said Arryzl.

"It's alright, don't sweat it. I really enjoyed talking with you."

"As did I. You are a very interesting person, Hunk."

Hunk felt the tips of his ears heat up at the compliment.

"Aren't you guys cute," Lance drawled, waggling his eyebrows at Hunk. "Shall I go tell the others you'll be, ah, staying behind tonight?"

"What? No! No, it's not like that, Lance. I'm coming, I just lost track of time."

"Mhm. You know they wouldn't mind right? I’ve done it lots of times. As long as you're back by lift-off tomorrow morning."

"No. It really isn't like that. Arryzl is taken in any case."

"Ah, well. That's too bad."

"It really isn't. I'm happy for her."

Arryzl had watched the exchange with mild confusion, but at the mention of her partner she perked up.

"Wait, was the blue paladin insinuating we were going to sleep together?"

Hunk choked on his spit and buried his face in his hands. "I cannot believe this is happening right now. See what you did Lance?"

Lance merely cackled. "Well that's one way of putting it. Forgive me, I misread the situation. You two seemed so close, I thought that was where this was going."

Arryzl narrowed her eyes at him, but apparently deemed he meant no harm. She laughed lightly, standing up and smoothing down the front of her dress. Hunk took it as his cue to stand also.

"No, blue paladin, that's not where this was going. I merely enjoyed Hunk's company and his conversation."

“Oh,” said Lance, “in that case, would you object if I stole Hunk away?”

“Not at all, in fact I should be getting back too. I need to come up with something to tell my father so he will back off on pushing for a union.”

“A union??” Lance looked pointedly at Hunk.

“Yes, yes, I’ll tell you all about it.” Hunk grabbed Lance’s arm and started turning him away toward the rest of their group. “Arryzl, it was truly a pleasure spending time with you tonight, and best of luck with your father. Tell him I expel noxious gases after I eat or something, and you couldn’t possibly bear to live the rest of your life steeped in such a horrible odour.”

Arryzl’s eyes crinkled in mirth at the suggestion. “If I tell him that don’t be surprised if all Syxans stay far away from you next time you visit.”

Hunk laughed, then saluted her with a bow and the traditional extended palm motion before wishing her goodnight and pulling a perplexed Lance along toward the rest of their crew.

“So what was that about a union, huh big guy?” Lance punched him in the arm, grinning. “Dish.”

“There’s not that much to say actually?” Hunk shrugged. “Her father pushed her at me hoping we’d like, hit it off or something, and he’d get to tell everyone his daughter was married to a Paladin of Voltron. Lucky for me she’s zero interested cause she already has a girlfriend. But she’s really cool all the same, did you know she’s a mechanic too?”

“How would I have known that, you monopolized her all evening.” Lance playfully elbowed him in the side as they drew level with Shiro, Keith and Pidge. “Man though, how come you got more game than me without even _doing_ anything. That’s so not fair.”

“Hey, I’d love to give it all to you, make my life way less complicated.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow at them. “Anything I should know about?”

“No sir,” said Lance cheerily. “Just our man Hunk here nearly ending up in an arranged marriage to the State Leader’s daughter. Another normal Tuesday.”

“You what?!” Pidge burst out laughing. Shiro, on the other hand, looked unsure whether he wanted to laugh or cringe. Keith, surprisingly, was scowling at the floor.

“Guys, really, it wasn’t that big a deal. She’s not at all interested, and she says her dad won’t make a fuss about it.”

“That’s good,” said Shiro, relaxing slightly. “Wouldn’t want to cause a diplomatic incident right after we managed to establish an alliance with the Syxans.”

“Wouldn’t want that indeed,” agreed Hunk.


	2. Seilim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is proud of the work the team has done securing the Pluntian harvest, they deserve a good party. He's less enthused when the party leads to one of his own becoming accidentally married to a local, however

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've ever watched Firefly you'll recognize where I got my inspiration for this chapter immediately lol

“We can’t thank you enough for saving our harvest.”

“Without Voltron we would have starved over the winter!”

Shiro smiled at the Pluntians as he lowered his sack of grain to the ground in the newly rebuilt storehouse. “It’s our pleasure. Voltron is here to serve the people, in any way you need.”

Shiro straightened and swiped a hand across his forehead, pausing on his way back out and taking a moment to survey the area.

Hunk had just landed the yellow lion nearby, hold full of a new batch of grain. A swarm of Pluntians were waiting for him, ready to ferry the sacks into the giant storage facility.

Overhead, the green lion was flying back and forth; Pidge taking a last series of readings on the new building, making sure it was sound and would keep the precious grain it contained preserved for the long Pluntian winter, despite having been rebuilt by Voltron in a hurry over the course of just one day after it was destroyed during a Galra raid.

The red and blue lions were out in the south fields, picking up new shipments of harvested grain to add to the storehouse.

It was a race against the clock to get everything harvested and put away before the plants grew overripe and rotted in place; the Pluntians had been desperately trying to save what they could after the Galra attack, already two movements behind on the harvest, when Team Voltron had picked up their distress signal.

Allura and Coran had taken the Castleship to the capital with the intention of negotiating an alliance with the Pluntians while the Paladins saved the harvest.

Accepting a refreshment pack from the granary coordinator—a large, commanding Pluntian with a no-nonsense disposition who was in charge of overseeing the storage process—Shiro nodded toward where Hunk was unloading the yellow lion. Seilim, an excitable young man who reminded Shiro vaguely of a puppy, was right there at the head of the column ready to receive bags from Hunk and pass them off to the next Pluntian in line, just as he had been all day.

“I’m impressed by your people’s diligence, Grainmaster Arruk,” remarked Shiro. “Many, like that Seilim over there, have been working practically around the clock for weeks from what I gather, and I’ve never heard one complaint.”

“Indeed Paladin Shiro.” Arruk’s gruff voice held an unmistakable note of pride. He may not show it in front of his people, but he was immensely pleased with everything they’d accomplished. “The threat of starvation and the urgency of the harvest have hit us all hard, but we have admirably risen to the challenge.”

“I’m glad to see people in higher spirits than when we arrived,” remarked Shiro, gesturing to indicate the easy chatter and occasional bouts of laughter that filled the air.

“Largely thanks to you and your crew. The worst is now behind us.”

Shiro inclined his head, accepting the gratitude, and the two lapsed into easy silence as they finished their drinks. A particularly loud burst of laughter drew their attention back to where Hunk and his crew of Plutians were finishing unloading Yellow. Seilim had his head thrown back in mirth, one hand on Hunk’s shoulder. Arruk let out a considering hum at the display.

“Although, Paladin Shiro, I must say I suspect in some cases it’s more than just relief at having saved the harvest.”

“Oh, you mean Seilim is…?”

Looking over, Shiro watched Hunk grin and duck his head at something Seilim said as they carried the last sacks of grain into the storehouse together. From this distance it definitely did look like flirting.

“Is that a problem for you?” Arruk fixed Shiro with an inscrutable gaze. “I can speak with the boy if you wish, tell him to cease fraternizing with your paladin.”

“No, no it’s not a problem. There’s nothing in the paladin code that forbids it, so long as they put the mission first.”

Still, Shiro made a mental note to check in with Hunk later. Based on previous experience he may not be entirely comfortable having an alien flirt with him.

“Good, well,” said Arruk, throwing his empty refreshment pack away, “shall we get back to it? The sooner we finish the sooner we can start the Harvest Celebrations, I hear preparations have been underway since first sunrise.”

“Certainly, where do you want me next?”

“With the red and blue lions in the south fields, that only leaves the west. I think they only need one more trip to get everything collected, perhaps two.”

“Sounds good. If I don’t talk to you again, see you at the party.”

Arruk merely inclined his head in acknowledgement, thoughts already turned to the next problem needing his attention. Shiro pulled his helmet back on and headed toward his lion.

* * *

Shiro didn’t see Hunk again until that evening when the paladins all trooped back to the Castle for a shower and change of clothes before the Harvest Celebration.

“Hunk, wait up,” Shiro pulled him aside, waving the other paladins on.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to talk to you about today real quick.”

Hunk frowned, trying to figure out what it might be. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh yeah, yeah everything’s fine, it’s just.” Shiro raked his hand through his bangs. “Okay, you know Seilim? The Pluntian you spent most of the day with?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you know he, uh, he’s been basically flirting with you this whole time?”

Hunk’s eyes widened and slid to the side, his cheeks pinking. He sighed.

“Oh man. I kinda thought he might be, but I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe he just wanted someone to talk to you know? Is that… okay? I can stop talking to him if you want.”

“No!” exclaimed Shiro, reaching out to place a hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “No, I’m not here to tell you how to act in your free time, I just wanted to make sure you knew. Since you, ah, tend to have some issues with this kind of thing.”

Hunk snorted. “Yeah you got that right. The attention’s nice sometimes, but it gets tiring trying to find ways to reject people’s advances nicely. I’ll be more careful around Seilim.”

“Sure thing.”

“Thanks for the heads up Shiro.”

Shiro smiled, starting back down the hallway toward the showers, Hunk falling in at his side. “Anytime.”

* * *

Shiro sat on a log, nursing his cup of… he’d forgotten the name. Whatever it was it was strong and spread pleasant warmth through him. Out of habit he cast his eyes around, taking stock of what his team was up to.

Keith was seated next to him on the log, head leaning against Shiro’s shoulder and eyes closed. Keith wasn’t fond of large gatherings to begin with, but the combination of a long day of outdoor work with the huge feast and ample drink they’d been plied with seemed to have hit him hard. Shiro adjusted slightly so Keith would be more comfortable.

Lance and Pidge were on the other side of the fire from him, gesticulating happily with a group of other young Pluntians in the cleared patch of dirt that passed for a dance floor. Shiro laughed as he watched Lance execute a complicated series of movements that made his dance partners gasp in awe.

Coran was somewhere on his left; Shiro could hear him boisterously recounting some tall tale from his youth for Grainmaster Arruk and a group of other Pluntian officials who seemed torn between laughter and disbelief.

Allura was over with the musicians next to the dance floor. When she’d expressed curiosity at this planet’s music she’d been invited to sit with them and a small tambourine-like instrument had been pressed into her hands. She’d been proudly keeping the beat for the group ever since. Catching Shiro looking she beamed and pointed at the instrument in her hands. Shiro toasted her, mouthing “good job” in her direction.

That left Hunk.

Looking around, Shiro found him sitting on another log to his right, chatting with… Seilim again. The other Pluntians seemed to be leaving them alone; there was a bubble of empty space around them. Hunk had some kind of shawl draped over his shoulders and a crown woven from Plunt’s native grasses on his head, and he was accepting some kind of bite-sized snack from Seilim. Shiro didn’t remember seeing those particular confections on the buffet table earlier; perhaps Seilim was introducing Hunk to a special delicacy? As he watched, Hunk reached out to help himself from the platter but Seilim pulled it away, instead picking up a piece and holding it to Hunk’s mouth himself.

Shiro frowned. That was… a bit much. Shiro debated whether he should go break up whatever was going on over there, but Hunk seemed so relaxed, laughing good naturedly as he accepted the morsel and washed it down with a sip of his drink. If Hunk wanted to accept Seilim’s advances and let loose for an evening far be it from Shiro to stop him.

The music changed and Seilim jumped up excitedly, pulling Hunk up and toward the dance floor, engaging him in a quick dance with lots of jumping and spinning and flailing of arms. Shiro laughed and Lance wolf-whistled as the pair drew all eyes. Hunk grinned at them, disheveled and cheeks pink at being the center of attention.

“Hunk should be more careful.”

Startled, Shiro looked down to find Keith’s eyes open and trained on the dancing pair, brows drawn down in what could only be called a scowl.

“What do you mean?”

“That guy’s been hanging onto him all day, he wants something.”

“Oh come on, they’re just having fun. Don’t tell me you’re jealous?” Shiro teased, jostling his shoulder to try and get Keith to lose the dark look. Instead Keith’s scowl only deepened.

Shiro’s brows jumped. He cleared his throat. “Well anyway, I've spoken to Hunk and he knows to be careful. Plus we’re leaving right after the party, they both know that. It’s not like anything serious can happen.”

* * *

Shiro was startled in the middle of his morning exercise routine by a horrified scream and a loud thump from one of the other rooms. Heartrate spiking he scrambled to his feet and burst out of his room. Doors were opening along the length of the corridor, sleepy paladins poking their heads out and looking for the source of the disturbance.

“Whu’ wazzat,” groaned Pidge as Shiro streaked by, her eyes screwed shut against the light.

“Are we under attack?” called Keith, stepping out of his room in only his pajama pants and clutching his knife, searching for the threat.

“I don’t know,” replied Shiro, slowing down in front of the last two closed doors in the hallway. “Sounds like it came from Hunk’s room. Or maybe Lance’s?”

One of the doors opened to reveal Lance, sleep mask pushed up over his forehead.

“Nope, wasn’t me. Definitely from Hunk’s room.”

He and Shiro approached the last door together, Keith and Pidge crowding behind them. Lance reached out to knock gently.

“Hunk, buddy? You alright in there?”

When they got no response Shiro reached for the control panel next to the door. “Hunk, we’re coming in, ok?”

The sight that greeted them was not something Shiro ever could’ve prepared for. Hunk was stuffed as tightly as possible into the corner of his bed, clutching his pillow in front of him like a shield. His wide, terrified eyes were trained on a form seated on the floor next to the bed. The lights came on as the rest of the paladins entered the room, and the form on the floor turned toward them to reveal… Seilim.

His wide, orange eyes met Shiro’s, full of confusion. Seilim pointed to Hunk, still attempting to hide in the corner of his bed.

“My husband just pushed me out of bed. Is this a common gesture among humans?”

* * *

“Husband?!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Coran, explain!”

“It’s got to be some mistake, right? I didn’t _marry_ anybody!”

The paladins and Coran were gathered in the kitchen while Allura sat with Seilim in the dining hall, speaking quietly to him and offering him breakfast. Lance and Pidge were crowded together at the door, spying on them. Hunk, Coran and Shiro were standing at the island in the middle of the room, Shiro’s steady hand on Hunk’s shoulder as Hunk twisted his hands together and fretted.

Coran was tapping away furiously on a data pad, trying to figure out what had happened. Keith was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed. He hadn’t said anything since the incident.

“Ah-ha,” said Coran finally, “there it is, Pluntian marriage customs. Hmm.”

“What’s it say?” Hunk grabbed onto Coran’s arm, nearly knocking the pad out of his hands.

“Well, Number Two,” he righted himself and fixed Hunk with an uncharacteristically serious gaze, “were you draped in the ‘cloth of commitment’?”

“He did have a shawl—thing over his shoulders,” recalled Shiro.

“And were you crowned with the ‘circlet of prosperity’?”

Hunk gulped and touched his head where a few stray pieces of grass were still caught in his hair.

“And were you given the ‘fruits of love’?”

“Seilim fed him something, yeah,” Keith said from his position, frowning at the floor.

Pursing his lips, Coran turned back to his pad.

“ _At the end of the ceremony, once all rituals have been observed, the newly joined couple dance before a celebratory fire, sealing their union._ ”

“No way,” said Lance, abandoning his post by the door to join the group in the middle. “You’re actually married to him.”

Hunk’s face went very pale. “I- I didn’t know! There’s gotta be something, some way to annul it right? It can’t be valid if one of the parties doesn’t know what’s going on and didn’t agree to it.”

Shiro squeezed his shoulder. “It’s going to be ok, Hunk. We’ll figure this out.”

“Can’t we just ship him back to his planet?” asked Pidge.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Number Five. According to Seilim and his people the union is valid. Sending him back would be regarded as a very serious offence and would likely be enough for the Pluntians to dissolve our alliance.”

Keith pushed away from the wall, fists clenched. “So, what, we’re just supposed to keep him? What if he’s a spy? Or a thief? He can’t stay here.”

“Oh real classy, Keith,” scoffed Lance, “accusing someone of ulterior motives with zero evidence. You saw how nice the Pluntians are, they don’t have a mean bone in their bodies. This is all just a misunderstanding.”

“Actually, I’m with Keith,” offered Hunk in a small voice. “Something about this feels off.”

“Alright,” placated Shiro before the argument could escalate. “Coran, you keep digging, see if there’s some clause or something we can use to annul this union without causing offence. The rest of you, take the day off, we’ve all been pretty rattled. Hunk—“

“Please don’t make me hang out with him, I don’t think I could handle that.”

“No, no I wasn’t going to. I’ll take care of keeping Seilim busy. I was just going to say take care of yourself. Get some nice tea, go back to bed, watch a movie, whatever. It’s not your fault ok?”

Shiro’s words didn’t completely erase the guilt in Hunk’s eyes, but he did nod once and whisper his thanks before hurrying out of the kitchen, the other paladins on his heels.

* * *

Shiro was back in the kitchen some time later, picking up water packets for both him and Seilim. Overall his efforts to keep their guest distracted had gone pretty well. Seilim was disarmingly innocent in demeanor and endlessly curious about the Castle and the paladins and Voltron. Shiro couldn’t detect any hint of ulterior motives, but as a precaution he still made sure to carefully steer the conversation to answer Seilim’s questions without revealing any sensitive information.

The few times Seilim had asked about Hunk, wondering where his husband was, Shiro had managed to distract him easily enough.

Shiro jumped when the alarm started blaring. Dropping the water packets he rushed to the communicator on the wall.

“Princess? What’s going on?”

“It appears the black lion’s hangar was opened without authorization.”

“The Black Lion? Who could hav—Seilim!”

Shiro rushed through the Castle, the others joining him as he went.

“What happened?” asked Pidge.

“It’s Seilim, we think he’s trying to steal the black lion.”

“I told you there was something fishy about him!” exclaimed Keith.

“I’m so sorry!”

“Not your fault, Hunk.”

The group skidded to a halt in front of the open doors to Black’s hangar. The great lion sat still, eyes dark. A frustrated yell could be heard from inside it.

“Come on, move you stupid thing!”

Shiro cupped his hands around his mouth so he’d be heard. “Seilim, it’s no use. The lion will only respond to its paladin. Please come out, we won’t hurt you.”

There was no answer from within the lion.

Lance huffed. “He can’t seriously believe we’ll just let him stay in there?”

“Seilim, please, there’s nowhere to go.”

Still no answer.

Suddenly the great lion came online, its head lowering to the ground and its jaw opening. Seilim was forcefully ejected onto the ground in front of the team.

Allura sniffed. “That’ll teach him to abuse our hospitality.”

They watched as Seilim clambered to his feet and looked around at all of them. When he caught sight of Hunk his eyes softened, a delighted smile stretching his mouth as though he hadn’t just been caught red-handed trying to steal a lion.

“Husband! Did you see how rude your lion was to me? You should talk to it. I only wanted to go for a ride and look what it did.”

Before Seilim could draw near Keith stepped in between him and Hunk.

“Stay back, thief,” Keith spat, glaring darkly.

Seilim’s eyes widened, a look of innocent hurt.

“Thief? How can you accuse me of such a thing. My husband’s possessions are mine too, I’m not stealing anything.”

“Don’t even try that,” said Pidge, coming up next to Keith.

“No one here believes you, you can stop with the charade,” Lance added, taking a position on Keith’s other side.

Finding no sympathetic face, Seilim’s expression twisted into a sneer of contempt. “Fine, you caught me. You’re all such fools.” He pointed at Shiro. “That one’s been feeding me your secrets all day.”  

“Actually, I think you’ll find none of what I told you would be of any use against us.”

Seilim hissed but said nothing, glaring at them all.

Allura stepped forward, back ramrod straight and gaze like steel. She was every inch the crown princess of Altea.

“Here’s how this will go. We will enter the coordinates of the nearest habitable moon or planet into a pod, you will get in that pod, and you will leave and never bother us or Hunk again.”

“You can’t do that. I’m still married to Hunk. Cast me out and you’ll lose your precious alliance with Plunt.”

“Actually,” interjected Coran, “that’s not true.”

He tapped on his data pad briefly and scrolled until he found what he was looking for, then started reading aloud.

“ _Pluntian unions are only dissolved in extreme circumstances, and the concept of divorce does not exist in their culture. However there is one reason why a Pluntian couple may separate, and that is if one party is caught stealing from or otherwise harming the other party’s family. Family bonds are the only ones considered more sacred than union bonds._ ”

Coran shut off his pad proudly, pointing at Seilim. “You were just caught attempting to steal the black lion, which is in fact Shiro’s property, and Shiro is Hunk’s family. Ergo, your union to Hunk is now considered null and void, even in the eyes of your own people. You’re welcome to explain yourself to the officials back on Plunt, but I think you’ll find they’ll agree with us. So let’s do this the easy way hm? Just get in the pod, get out of our sight, and never let us catch you in our path again.”

Hunk pushed forward so he could face Seilim. “I just want to know… why? We worked so well together yesterday, I really thought we clicked. Were you after one of the Voltron Lions this whole time? None of it was real?”

Seilim at least had the grace to look a little remorseful. “You’re cute, Hunk, and I did have fun with you. Under different circumstances I might have pursued you with no ulterior motives. But in the end it was just a means to an end.”

“Alright that’s enough,” said Allura, stepping forward and nodding to Coran. Coran grabbed Seilim’s arm and started towing him toward the exit. Allura led them out. “Let’s get you into that pod.”

After the alteans and Seilim left, the paladins crowded around Hunk. Pidge wormed her arms around him and squeezed.

“Will you be ok?”

Hunk huffed and cleared his throat, blinking several times. He patted Pidge on the back and looked around at the others, giving a watery smile.

“I’ll be fine. M’ just embarrassed. And mad at myself. My instincts are normally better than that.”

“Don’t sweat it,” reassured Shiro, “he did genuinely seem like a nice guy, it could’ve happened to anyone. Even I believed it was all just an honest misunderstanding the whole time I was showing him around and answering his questions.”

“Come on,” said Lance, “all these heightened emotions have me starving. Who wants some leftover Pluntian bread with that xynta fruit jam?”

Hunk visibly perked up at the suggestion, and the group made its way toward the kitchen. Pidge and Lance raced ahead, so they didn’t notice when Keith laid his hand on Hunk’s arm and offered him a small smile which Hunk returned, relaxing under the touch. Shiro, bringing up the rear, smiled gently to himself at the sight.


End file.
